Florida City COVID vaccine site reverts to DeSantis’ order a day after giving shots to all

A Florida City COVID vaccination site that responded to low demand Saturday by vaccinating everybody found high demand Sunday morning as it reverted back to state limitations.

The predictable disorganization ensued at the Florida City Youth Center, 650 NW Fifth Ave.

A Florida City police officer said through a megaphone, “If you do not meet the criteria, you will not be vaccinated today” to a serpentine line of 200 people, few of whom appeared to meet the criteria as set by Gov. Ron DeSantis in Executive Order 21-47: people over 65; long-term health care facility residents and staff; direct contact health care employees; people over 50 in law enforcement, firefighters or K-12 school workers.

The site was supposed to open at 9 a.m. By 9:18, no one had gone in as staff tried to line up people who were wait-listed during Saturday’s all-vax and Sunday people who fit the limitations.

State Sen. Annette Taddeo had tweeted Saturday night that things would be just as open Sunday, a tweet she self-fact-checked and deleted at 9:38 a.m. Sunday.

“With so many constituents eager to get the vaccine, the lack of a plan from the Governor has clearly led to disorganization and chaos,” a statement from Taddeo said. “This has resulted in people desperately seeking vaccines. As such, I strive to share real time vaccine availability. Once eligibility changed, I immediately communicated the new information.”

By 11:30 a.m. Sunday, the line extended to around 270 people. People were told at one point during Sunday that if extra vaccines were available at 3 p.m., they would be given to people in line rather than wasted. But, at 2 p.m., staff told people in line who didn’t fit the qualifications — which covered the vast majority of the line — that there would be no extra vaccines and they were wasting their time.

FEMA reported only 321 people got vaccinated Sunday. The site’s daily allotment is 500.

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Doing shots on a Saturday afternoon

The FEMA-run site at 650 NW Fifth Ave. started Saturday with the Florida limitations. But when the vaccination flow was slow, as seen by people who got vaccinated there in the late morning, staffers turned it into an all-comers vax meet — 18 and over, bring your driver’s license or state ID.

Various people who had been vaccinated or were in line rang the social media bell and residents zipped down U.S. 1 and the Florida Turnpike to a city that rarely gets visitors from north of the Redland.

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What had been a short line at noon curled through the parking lot and down an adjacent street by 2:30 p.m. Just after 3 p.m., a Florida City police officer put down a pylon and told people in line behind it that the 500 vaccines would run out by the time they got to the front of the line.

While some people left, others stayed, were put on a list and told to return Sunday morning.

But, at the same time, staff told people outside the Youth Center that Sunday they would vaccinate only those the governor said should be vaccinated. By Saturday night, FEMA spokesman Marty Bahamonde said the Florida City FEMA staff were reminded who state rules said should be vaccinated and only those groups would be vaccinated.

“We expect that all will go well,” Bahamonde said. “We also ask for the public’s proper participation in the process.”